Proprietà biologiche ed organizzazione genomica della famiglia di geni interferon-inducibile murina Ifi200 e della controparte umana HIN200

Interferons (IFN) are cytokines that upon binding to specific membrane receptors can modulate many biological activities, such as antiviral, immunomodulatory and growth regulatory. They can specifically induce the expression of several endogenous proteins designated as IFN-induced proteins. Among the proteins positively regulated by type I (α and β) and type II (γ) IFNs, there is the murine Ifi200 family and its human counterpart HIN200, both localised on chromosome 1. Recent studies demonstrated that these proteins are involved in cell cycle regulation and differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we report on their principal properties, showing the genomic organization of both the murine and human loci.